This proposal was developed with input from multiple partners working across private and state lands in beker and malheur counties, oregon

The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $1,699,999.62 Cooperative Agreement to Pheasants Forever, Inc., a non-profit organization, on July 1, 2023. The award is funded through the National Fire Plan-Wildland Urban Interface Community Fire Assistance program (CFDA 15.674) and will support conservation efforts across 14,409.17 acres of privately owned lands in Baker and Malheur Counties, Oregon. The key products and services to be delivered include addressing threats from conifer expansion and invasive annual grasses through habitat improvements, public awareness, education, and land management policies and programs. This work builds upon existing partnership efforts across public and private lands, leveraging the collaborative platform of the Baker and Vale Sage-Grouse Local Implementation Teams. As an experienced federal grantee, Pheasants Forever has a history of delivering wetlands conservation, habitat restoration, conservation planning assistance, and the facilitation of conservation practices on private lands through programs like the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund and Partners for Fish and Wildlife.

Those represented are partners of two collaborative groups: the baker and vale sage-grouse local implementation teams (LIT). Our proposal outlines conservation needs across 14,409.17 acres of privately owned lands. To demonstrate their cross-boundary interests, that partners chose to pursue funding through the LIT s collaborative platform and submitted a joint application to address two primary threats to oregon s sagebrush landscapes: confer expansion and invasive annual grasses. This proposal builds upon existing partnership efforts on both public and private lands.